BALTIMORE, Md. – The One Love Foundation, a leading non-profit dedicated to ending relationship violence in honor of Yeardley Reynolds Love, announced today that University of Delaware women’s lacrosse sophomore Elyse Andrews is a finalist for the 2014 Yeardley Reynolds Love (“YRL”) Unsung Hero Award.

Established in 2011, the prestigious award is given each year to a men’s and women’s NCAA Division I lacrosse player who shares the qualities Yeardley Love so humbly displayed.

“Elyse honors Yeardley’s memory by inspiring her teammates to give all they have on the field, in the classroom and in their community,” commented Sharon Robinson, One Love Foundation National Advisory Counsel member and former Yale University women’s lacrosse captain. “She leads by example with her 3.9 GPA and volunteer efforts at the Ronald McDonald House, Habitat for Humanity and the local food bank.”

Formerly given to lacrosse players in the Atlantic Coast Conference, the award was opened to all Division I lacrosse programs last season. The award acknowledges the accomplishments of student-athletes who help their team achieve success in ways that may not be measured in goals, saves or ground balls. This honor is meaningful because it places value on the characteristics that are often undervalued in the competitively charged environment of collegiate lacrosse.

Earlier this season, the Blue Hens honored Yeardley Reynolds Love with their “One Love Foundation Game” in an effort to raise awareness of domestic violence. Andrews designed special blue t-shirts for the event with a portion of the proceeds from each sold to benefit the One Love Foundation.

Andrews, a Wilmington, Del. native, is a medical diagnostic major and is minoring in Spanish and biology. She is heavily involved with Delaware Christian Athletes, Alpha Phi Omega, Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, Making Doctors and Physician Club and was recently awarded the University of Delaware Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences Alumni Sophomore Award.

The winners of the 2014 YRL Unsung Hero Award will be announced on May 31, 2014 and will be awarded a donation to a charity of their choice.

The One Love Foundation was co-founded by Sharon and Lexie Love in May 2010 to honor their daughter and sister, Yeardley Reynolds Love, a University of Virginia student-athlete who was murdered by her ex-boyfriend. The organization supports its mission to end relationship violence through the core values that Yeardley exemplified: education, service, kindness, dedication, humility and sportsmanship. The “One” represents the number Yeardley wore on her jersey during her high school and collegiate lacrosse careers. In her memory, the University of Virginia has since retired the number.